When I was Older
by Lucky Strike's alter ego
Summary: Emma Rogers' life changed forever the day her parents died. Following her parents' wishes, Emma ends up in the custody of her godfather Tony Stark. Both are left deeply affected by the deaths in the family and somehow find a way to heal together. They create a family with just the two of them which is thrown a curveball when Emma's grandfather wakes up from the ice. *AU to STNS*
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: So I'm still working on the update for STNS and it's still going to be a while so I just thought I would publish the first official AU fic to STNS in the meantime. I wrote this first chapter weeks ago so I just thought it would hold you guys over until the next update. I already have a second chapter finished for this story so I might update again in the coming week. I'm almost finished with a new chapter for One Word From You(My Tony Stark fanfic) and I know it's been a long time coming but I just had some writer's block for that chapter. Anyways...it's almost finished and then back to work on STNS. I should warn you guys though that my updates might continue to be less frequent even though I said they might be more frequent because I have a job now but I also decided to go back to school. Please don't think I've given up on my stories but I'm just going to be really busy and these chapters take a really long time for me to write. They might take you fifteen or so minutes for you to read but they take a couple weeks for me to write depending on the length. **

**So this story was originally titled 'Baby Avenger' but I kind of thought that was a lame title so I changed it. I also know that the storyline was supposed to originally be Emma being raised by Clint and Laura but I changed my mind. I think Emma being raised by Tony would be way cuter and interesting. I'm really in love with the idea of Emma and Tony having a somewhat different relationship than they do in STNS and it makes me sad that things didn't turn out this way in STNS too. Obviously, Bucky and Emma aren't going to have the same father-daughter dynamic in this story but I hope Tony and Emma's dynamic will make up for it. Peter is eventually going to show up in this AU but not for a while. I kind of want the focus on this story to be about Emma and Tony/Emma and Steve.**

**I should also clarify that this is an alternate universe in which Emma doesn't get kidnapped by Hydra but was instead staying with extended family in New York when Hydra killed her parents. This will probably follow parts of the Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and Avengers storylines unlike STNS although I'm unsure whether or not it will include the Iron Man 3 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier storylines.**

**This story is going to have a lot of fluff so just be warned.**

**If anyone can make a better cover for this story then please feel free. I suck at making covers and would appreciate someone else's cover making abilities since I'm really bad at it.**

**Only less than a month out until Endgame comes out, guys! Can you believe it? The wait is almost over and I've never been more excited to see a movie in my life. Let's just pray Peter and Bucky come back without Tony and Steve dying in the process. I know they're likely to die in the movie but a girl can still dream.**

* * *

**2005**

**Malibu, California**

"Mr. Stark?"

A muffled groan could be heard from underneath layers of covers in a darkened bedroom. Pepper Potts stepped into the master bedroom of her probably very hungover boss, her heels clicking against the hard floors.

The personal assistant of Tony Stark had been working as such for the past seven years after being hired as an intern straight out of college. It didn't take long before the position as Tony Stark's personal assistant was literally thrown in her lap. Mostly because the last one had left the premises of Stark Industries, sobbing hysterically before vowing to never set foot back in "that" man's mansion. Tony's former assistant now worked happily as the manager at a grocery store on the opposite side of the city.

It was enough to say that the twenty-three-year-old Pepper Potts had been a bit intimidated at first before realizing that Tony Stark was just a man. Besides…Pepper had been raised by a man who was arguably just as eccentric as Tony. Her father was a strange man, albeit no genius, so Pepper had become accustomed to strange habits and even stranger behavior. Pepper, a woman with much pride, refused to be scared off by the likes of a man who thought he could intimidate her so...much like how she handled her father in her youth, Pepper handled Tony the same way.

Her father would kick her out of the house one day and Pepper would still be there the next.

Tony Stark fired her one day and Pepper would still show up the next.

Once Tony realized that he couldn't scare Pepper away like the others, he grew used to her being there and accepted the fact that Pepper was there to stay. He would never admit it but he enjoyed her company.

"Mr. Stark?" Pepper said again as she took a few more steps into Tony's messy room. Usually, she would look around the room in contempt because of all the clothing and empty bottles of alcohol strewn about the place but today wasn't a day to scold her boss for his messy habits.

Pepper made her way into Tony's bedroom with no idea how she was going to do this.

Fifteen minutes ago Pepper had been on the phone with a hysterical teenage girl by the name of Sharon Carter. The girl had been incredibly hard to understand at first. Before knowing that this was a teenage girl, Pepper assumed that she had been one of Tony's flings who was left broken-hearted by him. It only took Pepper coaxing the young-sounding girl to calm down before the girl became more coherent and then the devastating news was dropped on Pepper.

The girl on the phone was related to Steven Rogers Jr.

Steven Rogers who was none other than one of the most important people in Tony Stark's life. Someone who Tony claimed to find annoying and revolting but someone who Pepper knew that Tony secretly loved like a brother or best friend.

Steven Rogers was a kind man although sometimes cocky but in a way that much more charming than the way Tony was cocky. He always smiled at her and inquired about how things were going with her which Tony never did. The older man would then happily tell Pepper embarrassing stories about Tony and make her laugh while Tony sulked in a corner.

It then came as no surprise to Pepper when Steven and his wife Margot made Tony the godfather of their daughter. The two men loved each other like family despite how they were too proud to say such a thing.

Pepper still remembered when Tony returned to Malibu in a shocked state after seeing Emma Rogers for the first time at Steven and Margot's home in Oklahoma. He voiced his shock and concern at Steven and Margot choosing him to be Emma's godfather, finding it odd how anyone would ever trust him enough to pick him as the godfather of one of their children.

Rhodey told Tony not to worry too much about being a godfather. Why should Tony worry anyway? It's not like he would ever be responsible for Emma...unless Steven and Margot died, that is.

This was why Pepper was currently standing at her boss's bedside, biting her bottom lip nervously with a devastated look on her face. She already knew how much this was going to break Tony. Pepper hadn't been there when Tony's parents died but from what she heard from Rhodey, she knew it was bad. She could only imagine how he was going to react to the news this time. News that would inevitably break Tony's heart.

Steven and Margot Rogers were dead.

This was the news she learned from Steven's hysterical cousin named Sharon who called Tony because she didn't know who else to call. Especially considering that she had Tony's goddaughter with her and had no idea what to do.

"Mr. Stark?" Pepper tried again and this time Tony peeked his head out from underneath the covers. There was an irritated look on his face as he squinted his eyes at her.

"What is it, Pepper? I told you not to bother me until two at the earliest," Tony told her in annoyance. Pepper didn't say anything as she hesitantly sat on the edge of his bed next to him.

"Mr. Stark, I have to tell you something," Pepper said softly, trying to find the words to say the very thing she was terrified to say. She already knew that there was no possible way for Tony to be okay after she gave him the news.

"Tell me what? Did Rhodey call?" Tony questioned as he rested his head back against his pillow, closing his eyes as he tried to drift back to sleep. "Is he still pissed that I lured that redhead away from him? It's not my fault that he was boring her to death."

"Tony…" Pepper said, using his first name this time. Her voice was surprisingly soft which was unlike her whenever Tony mentioned his trysts with various models and other girls he met at parties. Usually, Pepper would give him a look of disapproval and shake her head at him but not this time.

Tony's eyes immediately shot back open as he glanced at his assistant who had a devastated look on her face. Her blue eyes glistened with unshed tears and Tony didn't think he had ever seen her that way before. Not even during her first week working for him as he tried to push her into quitting and running away.

Pepper had never shed a tear…until now.

"What is it?" Tony asked her, all trace of humor gone from his voice as he sat up in bed. He detected that there was obviously something wrong. The redhead swallowed hard before finally starting to tell Tony the news she had been dreading to tell him for the past twenty minutes.

"It's about Steven and Margot, Tony," Pepper said gently and she could feel the weight of what she was about to stay rest upon her shoulders. Tony stared at her and Pepper could see the fear in his brown eyes. He already knew what she was going to say before she said it.

Deep down he knew.

"Just tell me, Pepper," Tony said, the anticipation killing him but at the same time, he really didn't want to know. He dreaded what Pepper was about to say.

"There was a fire at their house," Pepper said and Tony immediately looked down at his lap, his heart pounding in his chest. He then felt something he hadn't felt since the day his parents died.

Complete and utter heartbreak.

"They think it was a fuse or gas leak," Pepper told him quietly. "There's nothing left, Tony. By the time anyone got to the house, it was too late. The whole place was burned to ashes."

"So that's it," Tony whispered, staring into space as he tried to process this information. "The three of them are just gone? I just saw them last month and now-"

"Steven and Margot are gone," Pepper said, interrupting him as gently as she could. "Emma wasn't in Oklahoma with her parents. She was in New York visiting her grandmother with her cousin."

Tony stared at her in surprise despite all the feelings of grief he was starting to feel at the news of Steven and Margot's death. He still hadn't really processed it and a part of it didn't seem real to Tony but the news of their death and Emma's survival was entirely shocking to him. When Pepper had that grim look on her face as she told him the news, he assumed that she meant all three of them were dead.

Not just Steven and Margot but Emma too.

"Emma's alive?" Tony questioned, completely dumbstruck. Pepper nodded.

"Her cousin was the one who called me to tell me the news," Pepper informed him, watching her boss carefully as she tried to guess the emotions he was currently feeling. "Her cousin knows that you're Emma's godfather and she didn't know who else to call."

"They're gone…" Tony trailed off once he went back to thinking about Steven. He knew Emma was alive and well so at least there was that. He hated to think that she might've shared the same fate as her parents if she had stayed behind in Oklahoma. It was just that the news of her parents' death completely left Tony speechless.

This wasn't what he had been expecting his week to turn out to be like. Not after the finished designs for Stark Industries latest high tech weaponry. Tony had been out celebrating all night but it wasn't like it was worth celebrating. Tony just needed an excuse for all the partying. This was something that annoyed Steven like nothing else. The older man would always tell Tony that he needed to grow up while Tony would roll his eyes in response.

Then it hit him that he would never have that exchange with Steven again.

Steven Rogers.

Dead.

Tony thought this was going to take a long time to get used to. Somehow this was even more mind-boggling than when his parents died. He had never been entirely close to his father, after all, but Steven had been different. Steven had always been there when Tony needed him, unlike Tony's father. This was something Tony appreciated more than anything else but it only struck him now that he never told Steven how much he appreciated that about him.

He would never get to tell him that either.

Just like he never got to tell his parents how much he loved them.

It seemed like Tony was always getting robbed of these last moments with loved ones. This was only because people seemed to have the distinct habit of dying on him. His parents had died first but Tony hadn't truly been alone. He still had Steven through all of it.

However, now Steven was dead too so maybe he really was on his own this time.

"Can I be alone?" Tony said to her and Pepper frowned. She didn't think that was what Tony needed right now.

"Tony, I don't think that's a good idea-" Pepper started to say but Tony interrupted her.

"I'm not asking you," Tony told her quietly and Pepper knew that she couldn't argue with Tony right now even if she didn't think it was wise for him to be alone. Pepper didn't know what he was thinking. She had never seen him like this so...withdrawn. No trace of cockiness or smartass comments. Frankly, it scared Pepper.

"Okay, just tell Jarvis if you need anything and I'll be right here," Pepper told her boss but she could tell he wasn't really listening to her. She thought he needed a hug more than anyone else right in that second but Pepper knew that Tony also wasn't the hugging type.

With that, Pepper got up from his bed and left the room. She did so while struggling not to look back at Tony and she realized she was terrified for the famous billionaire. Pepper knew that without a doubt that this could very well ruin Tony. More so than his parents' death had.

Pepper just hoped that he could somehow make it out of this alright.

* * *

Tony cried for the first time since he was a child.

He hadn't even cried when his parents died. Tony just remembered staring at the wall in his bedroom as he tried to process the information of their deaths. Steven had come by and comforted him. They walked around across the grounds of Stark mansion in New York for hours as Steven talked about everything _but _Tony's parents. He did his best to get Tony's mind off things and it had worked for the most part. Tony had felt sad but he wasn't alone.

Things were different now though.

Steven was no longer there and Tony didn't know how to handle it. It was true that he had Rhodey but Rhodey was a best friend that Tony had only been friends with for a decade or so. Tony had known Steven his whole entire life. Steven practically raised him in the place of his neglectful father and as annoying as Tony always claimed Steven to be, he loved him more than he loved anyone else in his life.

Tony knew it was pathetic to cry like this when he was a thirty-five-year-old man but the tears wouldn't stop. It was only because he realized now that he was alone for good. The last person he considered to be his family had died and now Tony didn't know what he was supposed to do.

"Mr. Stark?" Pepper said from behind the closed door as she knocked. Tony immediately wiped the tears from his face as he tried to give the impression that he hadn't just been bawling his eyes out like a child.

"What?" Tony snapped and Pepper hesitantly opened the door before walking inside the room. She had been increasingly worried over the past two days about Tony. He hadn't come out of his room once. Usually, he was never in his room except for sleep or his all too common one-night stands. It was always the lab she could never get him out of but Pepper found that she actually wished he would go down to his lab. At least then she would know he was behaving normally.

Rhodey and Obadiah had come around to see him but he refused to come out of his room. Obadiah she could understand him not seeing but Rhodey was something entirely shocking. Rhodey was usually able to get Tony to come around but not this time. The Air Force Colonel just looked at Pepper in understanding before telling her that he knew that it would take a lot of time before Tony would be able to come out of his room. Steven was very important to Tony, after all, and there was no way that Tony would take his death easily.

"It's about the funeral," Pepper told Tony as she slowly walked over to the bed that Tony hadn't left since Pepper first came into his room and broke the news to him. She ignored the smell and came closer to him anyway. "They're holding the funeral service in New York. Their families want to bury them there so they're holding the service there at the end of the week."

"I'm not going," Tony mumbled as he avoided Pepper's gaze so he wouldn't see her disappointed look.

"Tony…" Pepper trailed off.

"I know what you're thinking, Pepper, but I just can't do it," Tony told her sincerely. "I'll pay for whatever they need but I'm not going to the funeral. I can't do that again."

"It's not just about the funeral," Pepper told Tony which finally caused him to look up at her questioningly. She swallowed hard before continuing. "It's about Emma too."

"Emma?" Tony said aloud.

He had honestly forgotten about the small girl in the midst of all his grieving. Tony knew that she was okay from what Pepper told him earlier which was the only good news there was in a time like this. However, he was only realizing now that this also meant that Emma was without any parents…like him.

Another orphan.

"Well, social services wants to know what your plans are since you're Emma's godfather, after all," Pepper said gently to him. "Her family on her father's side is more than happy to take her in. She's got an aunt who lives in England that wants to take her in."

"They're not going to give her to her grandfather, are they?" Tony questioned quietly and Pepper looked at him in surprise. Tony had to admit that he didn't know much about Margot's father but he knew enough to know that Margot despised the man.

"No…he's been trying to get custody of her but Margot and Steven listed in their will that he was to absolutely have no contact with Emma," Pepper told Tony who only nodded in response so Pepper took that as a good sign. "However, you are Emma's godfather. She never had a godmother so that leaves you as sole guardian and both Steven and Margot apparently insisted that you be the only one to have custody of her in their will."

Tony was quiet for a moment, taking time to process everything Pepper just told him before he finally spoke and when he did, Pepper was shocked by what he said.

"Just let her aunt have her," Tony said in a withdrawn voice. "That'll be good for her. I know Steven has-I mean, _had-_lots of cousins still living in England so she won't be alone."

"Tony…you can't mean just giving up custody of her," Pepper said hesitantly, carefully eyeing the unreadable expression on his face. "Just shipping her off to a strange country she's never been to before with relatives she doesn't even know?"

"Well, I can't take care of her, now, can I?" Tony snapped before closing his eyes for a second and forcing himself to take a calming breath. "I'm sorry. We both know that I can barely take care of myself let alone a four-year-old."

"But Steven and Margot wanted you to take care of her. That's why they made you her godfather," Pepper tried to tell him but Tony was as stubborn as ever.

"Yeah, but they probably never figured that they would actually die so the poor kid would get landed with me," Tony said bitterly but Pepper didn't look so sure.

"I think they made you her godfather because there was no one else they trusted her more with than you," Pepper told Tony supportively.

She always knew there was something good about Tony. Something more than all the drinking, partying, and women. Maybe Emma could be the silver lining in all this.

Maybe she could be good for Tony.

"I can't do it, Pepper. I can't be a father," Tony said, sounding terrified. "Look at my father. What if I turned out like him? What if I made her resent me like I resented him?"

"Tony, you won't be her dad. You're her uncle and that won't change," Pepper said softly. "I just think you should be there for her. The poor girl lost her parents and she needs someone familiar in her life. You're the only one she knows."

"I'm scared," Tony admitted, being more honest than he ever had in his life before. Pepper nodded, giving him a small smile.

"I know but…she needs you," Pepper told him honestly, giving Tony a lot to think about. "It's a big responsibility but she needs you right now."

"I don't know, Pepper," Tony said quietly and she could tell that she almost had him convinced.

"Just look after her for now and give her some time to heal. Maybe by then, she'll be in a good enough place to go live with her relatives in England," Pepper said, trying not to push Tony too much.

Tony took a deep breath as he thought about everything Pepper said to him. He supposed she had a point. Tony didn't have to take care of her forever. He could keep her at the mansion with him in Malibu and once she was doing better then she could go live with her relatives in England.

This was the logical option.

Tony would help Emma in the transitional phase in her life which was from having parents to…not having parents. He knew more than anyone else that it wasn't easy to lose your parents. Tony only hoped that it would be easier for Emma than it was for him because she was so young. She wouldn't have many happy memories to feel sad over and she would forget them over time. Tony, however, hadn't been as lucky. He remembered his parents as if it were just yesterday that they were living and breathing.

Sometimes he wished that he didn't remember them at all. Maybe then he wouldn't know the pain of constant loneliness.

The billionaire didn't think he could help Emma as much as Pepper thought he could. Tony didn't even know how to help himself. How could he help Emma?

"It'll be okay, Tony," Pepper tried to reassure him.

"I don't how to do this, Pepper," Tony said, still sounding terrified. "I don't know anything about little kids or how to take care of one."

"You spent all that time with her and her parents. How do you not know anything about little kids?" Pepper questioned and Tony shrugged.

"Her parents did all the hard stuff like bathing and feeding her," Tony told Pepper honestly. "I just did the fun stuff because I'm the fun uncle."

Pepper rolled her eyes but had an amused look on her face. She was glad that she saw, at least, a trace of humor in his eyes. It was nice to know that he wasn't totally unlike himself. This gave Pepper a small amount of comfort.

"Oh god," Tony said, his eyes widening in horror as his face became pale. Pepper immediately became concerned, fearing the worst.

"What is it?" Pepper questioned and Tony just shook his head slowly before turning to look at her.

"What if I have to change her diapers? Pepper…I can't change a diaper. I think I'll throw up if I have to do _that_," Tony complained loudly and Pepper resisted the urge to roll her eyes again. She should've known that Tony was just being his usual dramatic self.

"Tony, four-year-olds don't wear diapers," She informed, speaking slowly as if she were speaking to a child. "Emma's probably already potty trained."

"Thank god," Tony said in relief and Pepper hid a smile because she knew that Tony had already decided on taking in his goddaughter. A small part of her hoped that some good would come out of a terrible situation. Maybe Tony having Emma around would be really good for him. Maybe he'd even grow up for once…hopefully.

"So you've made a decision then?" Pepper inquired hopefully and Tony nodded, taking a deep breath before answering his assistant.

"Yes," Tony confirmed, seeming terrified but feeling like he was making the right decision at the same time. "She'll stay here with me for a while so she has some time to adjust to her…new life. Then she can go stay with her aunt in England which will be for the best."

"I'm really happy that you've made a grown-up decision," Pepper said, half teasing him and half serious. Tony rolled his eyes at her.

"I'll have you know that I'm not a child, Miss Potts," Tony told her and she had a look on her face as if to say 'You had me fooled'. He smirked at her for a second, a brief glimpse of the normal Tony Stark shining through, before the smirk faded and he had a thoughtful look on his face. "This is what Steven would've wanted. I owe him that much and when the day comes that she goes off to live with her family in England, I'll still take care of everything. She'll never be without. Schooling, clothes, vacations, and someday...college. It'll all be taken care of."

"Well, that's really sweet of you, Mr. Stark," Pepper said kindly while secretly in awe of her boss who always came off as cold and uncaring but she was seeing a different side of him at that moment. Something that really touched Pepper. Tony cleared his throat and the thoughtful expression on his face was replaced with one of nonchalance.

"It's not like it's much money to me and I owe a lot to her dad," Tony said, brushing off any concern or care he might have for his goddaughter. "I just hope that little brat doesn't get in the way of any of my work down in the lab."

"You realize you're going to have to childproof the mansion, right?" Pepper said to him after shaking her head at him.

It was obvious that Pepper didn't believe him when he said he didn't care about Emma. She knew that the cute little girl with blonde pigtails carried a special place in Tony Stark's heart. This was proven by the crayon drawing Emma drew of the two of them riding horses that hung in a framed picture in his lab. Apparently Emma Rogers was very obsessed with horses and apparently Tony Stark really did have a heart.

"Why? It's not like I have a guillotine and a bunch of samurai swords laying around," Tony told her and Pepper gave him a pointed look.

"No, but you do have bottles of alcohol everywhere in the house and you have all those sculptures from that new modern artist you purchased an entire collection from last fall," Pepper reminded Tony because she knew he probably had already forgotten about all those sculptures. "Those are going to have to go in storage. The edges are too sharp and it's an accident waiting to happen with a four-year-old living here."

"Okay so I'll hire some moving guys to move stuff around and I'll lock the booze away somewhere safe. I'll finally put that lame wine cellar, that never stays full, to good use," Tony said, sounding a bit more optimistic than usual.

Pepper knew he wouldn't admit it but she could tell he was happy that Emma would be staying with him. Probably because he wouldn't be alone and maybe he wouldn't be alone in his grieving over Steven and Margot either. This might actually help him cope and Pepper was really happy about that. She would never tell Tony this but she worried about him a lot. However, Tony having something other than weapon designs to focus his attention on would be a good thing. Pepper was sure of it.

"What about a nanny or someone to look after her?" Pepper questioned, wanting Tony to think everything through and make a plan before Emma came to live there. "You work a lot in the lab and I have a lot of work to do myself. Someone needs to watch her when we're busy."

"Easy. Jarvis is the perfect nanny," Tony told her and Pepper gave her boss a look of disbelief.

"Jarvis? He's an artificial intelligence system, not a human," Pepper told him and Tony scoffed.

"Jarvis is better than any human. He'll watch her like a hawk and notify one of us when necessary," Tony informed the redhead who still seemed unsure about letting an artificial intelligence system be the babysitter of a four-year-old. "He's perfect. Probably because I created him but I think he still has more charm than some boring old lady we'd probably have to hire. Or…maybe we could hire one of those hot young nannies like Jude Law did if you don't like the Jarvis idea. That actually sounds a lot better than Jarvis."

"Very funny, Mr. Stark, but I'm sure Jarvis will be just fine," Pepper said, not looking amused at Tony's smugness although she was happy to see his spirits lifted since the past couple days he had been very sad and unwilling to come out of his room. She was just glad to see that maybe he was slowly returning back to his normal self. "Emma's too young for school so we don't have to worry about that. However, what about food?"

"Food?" Tony questioned, a confused expression replacing his smug one.

"She can't eat what you eat," Pepper said, not believing that Tony could even consider that for a second. Tony furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"What's wrong with what I eat?" Tony said, sounding almost offended. Pepper scoffed before raising her eyebrows at him.

"Pizza? Chinese take-out?" Pepper said while shaking her head. "A four-year-old can't eat those things on a nightly basis. She has to eat healthily. Not to mention she has to eat more than once a day unlike you who eats at one in the morning in your lab. That's not going to work anymore."

"God…you're right," Tony said, looking back down at his lap and wondering if having a kid living with him was going to be the most challenging thing he ever had to face. Maybe this was more responsibility than what he was capable of handling.

Pepper sighed before taking a leap of faith and hesitantly placing her hand over Tony's hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. She half expected Tony to retract his hand and sneer at her but he did no such thing. He continued to stare blankly at the dull gray comforter on his bed but took solace in Pepper's comfort.

"Don't worry," Pepper told him softly, sensing the confliction within him. Tony always wondered how Pepper seemed to read his mind. Most people sought and failed to understand him, even Rhodey, but Pepper was different. She was the second person that seemed to understand him like that.

The first being Steven.

"We'll figure everything out. It'll be okay," Pepper promised him, breaking Tony out of his thoughts. He looked back up at her and locked eyes with her very blue ones which were filled with sincerity. Tony didn't say anything but he knew he didn't have to. Pepper was going to be there with him along the way so he wouldn't have to do this alone.

Maybe he hadn't been alone all this time, after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Okay, so I wanted to update this a lot more. I originally planed to work on this story when I was waiting for Endgame to come out but like always, life got in the way. However, I'm back with an update now and I really think the updates will be more frequent now. I just had writer's block during a portion of this chapter. I'm really not sure why. Sorry for the wait and thanks so much for being patient with me. **

**So an update on STNS...I haven't officially started the sequel yet. I've been outlining somewhat but I just wanted to update 'When I was Older' before I started writing the sequel. It's been so long since I updated this story and I wanted to get it out of the way before I started a new story. Anyways, I'm going to start working more on the sequel and hopefully have the sequel out within a week and a half. **

**Thank you for all the reviews for the first chapter. I can't believe the amount of love this story already has and I only wrote one chapter. That's crazy! Hopefully I can have more frequent updates this time around because I'm really excited about Emma and Tony's relationship in this story.**

**By the way...the original cover was done by Assbitch67 and I've actually decided to put the covers on a rotation because AzureVermillion made me one too and I just want to be fair. So I'll be displaying AzureVermillion's cover for this story for a while before I rotate again. Thank you both for the covers! You're both so amazing and talented.**

**Thanks for your patience and please let me know what you think of the new chapter.**

* * *

The funeral was on a sunny day which seemed unfitting for such a sad and tragic occasion. There were low murmurs as Tony Stark entered the funeral service which was held in a big, cathedral looking church. Tony naturally assumed everyone would think he would automatically burst into flames the second he set foot on holy ground. He would be lying if he said that he hadn't thought he would too.

Tony wasn't alone at the funeral.

Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey were there too, sitting next to him as he stared ahead at the large photograph of Steven and Margot positioned next to their closed caskets at the front of the church. It was the picture from their wedding day which Tony missed because of prior engagements. Tony was suddenly filled with regret at missing such an important day in Steven's life. He really hadn't been as good of a friend to Steven as Steven had been to him.

The famous billionaire then curiously glanced around the room to see all the faces of people who had known Steven and Margot. He recognized a lot of Steven's family. Especially Steven's mother, who sat in the row in front of him, looking like she was struggling to keep it together. Her other children, Steven's half-brother and half-sister, Benson Sousa and Emily Forrester were seated next to her, providing support to their mother.

Tony had never met Steven's younger half-brother before although he had been told that Benson was a bit of an adventure-seeker. Almost like a real-life Indiana Jones, traveling across the world and doing crazy things. Emily, on the other hand, was a real bore that Tony never liked. The very serious and straight-laced fifty-year-old woman hated Tony with every ounce of her being. She thought he was a bad influence on Steven and too much like his father who Emily had never liked either. Tony just thought she was a bitter old woman who needed to mind her distance.

Before Tony could think anymore bitter thoughts about Steven's nosy and annoying sister, his attention was taken away by something…or rather_ someone else_.

His eyes landed on an all too familiar little girl with blonde hair that seemed to be down from her usual pigtails. She was dressed in a black dress for the funeral which looked different on her compared to the frilly pink and purple dresses Margot usually dressed her in. Dresses that Emma always dirtied up by playing around outside all day.

The four-year-old was currently seated a couple seats down from her grandmother and curled up against the side of a teenage girl who Tony could only assume was Emma's cousin that Pepper told him about. The teenage girl also looked really distraught, tears falling down her face but Emma looked different.

She looked very quiet but also…scared.

This was evident to Tony as she clung to her older cousin's side, looking terrified which Tony understood. The small blonde was probably too young to understand death and to understand that her parents were gone forever. Tony felt a lot of sympathy for his goddaughter in that moment.

"Are you alright?" Pepper asked him, breaking Tony of his thoughts. He finally tore his gaze away from Emma to look at Pepper.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Tony told her as the service began to start and everyone's attention turned to the front as the minister began to speak. However, Tony couldn't pay much attention to what the man was saying. His attention was occupied by the closed caskets.

Closed because their bodies were too gruesome and beyond recognition to look at.

The funeral service lingered on but Tony couldn't tear his gaze away from those closed caskets. He thought about how much Steven and Margot would've suffered before they died. They just burned and burned in that little farmhouse of theirs with no one around to help them or know any differently.

Tony told Steven that it was a bad idea getting that house in the middle of nowhere but the idiot never listened. He said something about wanting fresh air and getting away from the city.

Little did Steven know that it would be the death of him.

* * *

The funeral went on but Tony wasn't the only one grieving over the deaths of Steven and Margot Rogers. He didn't know them yet but Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Phil Coulson, and Clint Barton were also in attendance of the funeral along with Clint's pregnant wife Laura. Clint looked the most distraught out of the five of them especially with the way he left things with Margot. He knew that he would always live with the regret of how things ended between them for the rest of his life no matter how much his wife tried to convince him that Margot loved him.

The other former co-workers of the two ex-Shield agents might not have been as filled with regret but they still felt sadness over their deaths, knowing that Steven and Margot didn't quite get the happy ending they deserved.

* * *

There was also another person who attended the funeral but not out of grief.

Alexander Pierce watched the proceedings in silence with an unreadable look on his face. He didn't look sad or upset as one would suspect a father would feel at the loss of his daughter and son-in-law. In fact, he felt enraged as he watched the proceedings. Enraged because all that careful planning and the death of his only child yet it was all for nothing just because his ditzy daughter and her idiot husband decided to send their daughter on a last minute trip to visit her grandmother.

Alexander was furious as he sat there in the third row of the church, trying not to glare at the picture of his dead daughter in the arms of her dead husband. His eyes shifted away from the two caskets and picture at the front of the church as he glanced over towards the front row where his granddaughter was sitting. He had never seen her before in his life although Margot had sent him a family Christmas card two Christmases ago which Alexander was sure was only because Rogers Jr. probably forced her to.

Rogers was always a team player like that.

Always trying to mend things between the father and daughter but to no avail.

It didn't escape Alexander that Emma looked almost nothing like his daughter. He couldn't really get a good look at her from where he was sitting but he could already tell that she inherited those classic Rogers looks that made all the women in the room go moony-eyed over her father. However, this wasn't what pissed Alexander off.

He was angry because Emma Rogers escaped Hydra's clutches.

They only had one shot at getting the little girl and that idiot Rumlow has completely blown it. Pierce knew he would never be able to attempt to kidnap her again. It would look too suspicious and especially if something ever happened to Tony Stark.

Howard and Maria Stark then Margot and Steven Rogers dying?

Tony Stark too?

It was a little too coincidental for anyone to believe so Pierce knew that they had blown it.

He tried getting custody over his granddaughter as soon as his daughter and son-in-law were declared dead but his son-in-law's family refused to let him have her. Pierce was even told something ridiculous about how his daughter and son-in-law made Tony Stark Emma's legal guardian in their will. The will wouldn't officially be read until after the funeral but it was out there.

Tony Stark as the legal guardian of Emma Rogers.

The idea was laughable.

Pierce would just have to get his attorney to take another look at that will. He'd even involve the courts if he had to. Tony Stark getting custody of Emma over him was unbelievable. He couldn't believe the tenacity of his daughter.

The older man narrowed his eyes at the back of his granddaughter's head as he swore to himself that he would get custody of her no matter the cost. Perhaps then the Viper Assassin program could commence. The Viper Assassin was Hydra's last hope after the failure of the Winter Soldier program.

Pierce could only hope things would work in Hydra's favor this time.

* * *

There was a small gathering at Peggy Carter's house after the funeral. There was a reading of Steven and Margot's will after the funeral but it just confirmed what Tony already knew. That Tony would be the legal guardian of Emma. This was something that pissed Margot's asshole dad off as the older man stormed out of the room. This would've given Tony more satisfaction but it didn't.

Not these days, anyways.

It hit Tony only then that Steven was dead and buried six feet under. There was no coming back from that and Tony realized later on that day as they laid both Steven and Margot to rest, in a plot next to Steven's father which contained no coffin since there was never a body to bury, that he had no choice but to say goodbye to them.

Pepper held his hand comfortingly and Rhodey stood at his other side supportively but Tony barely noticed. His eyes were fixed on the two coffins that were lowered inch by inch into the ground.

When they started piling the dirt on top of both coffins, Tony allowed his gaze to fall back onto Emma who he still hadn't talked to. He hadn't really known what to say to the young girl. Tony supposed he was also scared to talk to her.

Things were different now.

The circumstances of them interacting with each other was different now too. This wasn't all fun and games like all the times he spent at her parents' house.

This was a lot more serious than that.

He watched her quietly as she stood at her cousin's side, her hand entangled in the distraught teenager's hand. The four-year-old didn't cry but that was probably because she didn't understand any of it yet. Someone had more than likely told her that her parents were gone and weren't coming back but she was probably confused more than anything else. Tony had never felt such a strong sense of sympathy in his life than from watching his goddaughter standing in between her cousin and grandmother, looking entirely confused by the whole thing.

"Tony, are you okay?" Rhodey asked him and Tony snapped out of his thoughts. He was currently standing in the hallway of Steven's mother's home, staring at a picture on the wall of Steven's second grade school photo.

"Yes," Tony said vaguely, not knowing what else to say. He hadn't been his usual talkative, smart ass self lately and it seemed like Rhodey had taken notice.

"Are you sure because you haven't said a word since we left Malibu," Rhodey said carefully, knowing that he had to walk on eggshells around Tony in a situation like this one.

Tony was likely to be in a very fragile state in the aftermath of Steven's death. Rhodey didn't want to do anything to send him into an alcohol and sex infused bender. Not when Tony's goddaughter was about to come live with him.

"I just…" Tony trailed off, trying to find the right words as he tore his gaze away from the photograph on the wall and looked back at Rhodey. "I'm at a loss, Rhodey. I don't know what to do. I'm supposed to take care of a kid when I can't even take care of myself."

"We already told you that we'd help you with that, Tony," Rhodey informed his friend. "You don't have to worry."

"It's not just that. I just can't understand why Steven was adamant about me taking care of Emma," Tony said, sounding more confused than he had ever been in his life. "Why me? Why not his sister or one of his cousins. They all have kids. Taking care of children is easy for them. I'm probably the least qualified person to take care of a kid."

"Steven trusted you the most. That's why he made you Emma's godfather and why he named you her legal guardian in his and Margot's will," Rhodey told him seriously. "Pepper's right. Emma staying with you will be good. She knows you the best and maybe spending time with you will allow her to adjust to…"

"Being an orphan?" Tony suggested to Rhodey who was trying to think of a word to use.

"You've lost your parents too. You know what that's like so you could help her," Rhodey told him and Tony shrugged.

"I was already an adult by the time mom and dad died, Rhodey," Tony reminded his friend, not seeing how he could help Emma in any way. "Emma's just a little girl. It's different."

"Just try, Tony," Rhodey told him, trying to make Tony understand how important it was that he rise to the occasion and care for his goddaughter. Most of the time Rhodey was worried about the path of self-destruction Tony was on. To Rhodey, this little girl might've been everyone's last hope for Tony to finally mature and start taking care of himself. "We'll get through this. It'll be okay."

"I just don't think I'm what she needs," Tony pointed out to Rhodey who just shrugged.

"Maybe but right now she needs a roof over her head and some familiar terrain," Rhodey told him calmly. "Those are two things you can provide for her."

Tony just sighed tiredly because he realized that he was going to have to take in a four-year-old little kid no matter how much he didn't want to. This was more responsibility than he ever wanted and a part of him wanted to curse Steven and Margot for leaving their kid in his care. Didn't they realize how foolish it was to leave their child in the care of someone like him?

Tony was sure wherever Steven and Margot Rogers were now, they were soon realizing the giant mistake they just made.

* * *

Emma Rogers was sitting by herself in the living room of her grandma Peggy's house. The little girl sat quietly on the floor as she colored in her coloring book with a pack of crayons. The room was filled with mountains upon mountains of toys. There was barely a spot in the living room that was untouched by a toy. The toys were mostly gifts from family members and people who knew Emma's parents. People who felt sad for the girl who lost her parents and heroic parents at that.

Tony stood in the entry way of the room for a moment as he watched her silently.

He knew that she had been staying with her grandmother following the death of her parents. It made sense, after all, since her grandmother was her godmother. Tony was sure Margot would've preferred that Emma remain in her grandmother's care but the poor woman was getting up in her years. Not only that but the woman was in a state of misery following her son's death. She was in no state to take care of a four-year-old.

"Hey, Rat," Tony said, using the nickname he always called her. The little girl would usually pout before whining about how she wasn't a rat but she didn't do any such thing. Emma looked up at him for a second before wordlessly returning her attention to the coloring book.

Tony frowned.

"She hasn't spoken a word in weeks," A soft voice came from Tony's right. He turned to look and there stood a teenage girl. She looked to be about sixteen or seventeen with long blonde hair and dark brown eyes. He recognized her as the cousin that was comforting Emma during the funeral.

"Really?" Tony asked curiously before glancing back at the four-year-old. Emma's cousin nodded, looking very worried as she allowed her eyes to fall on Emma.

"Not a single one since Emily told her that her parents were gone," The girl told Tony and the billionaire nodded but didn't say anything as he observed Emma. "We've tried everything to get her talking again but nothing works. Emily has a friend who's a child psychologist and they suggested that it's some sort of coping mechanism."

"Do you think she'll speak again?" Tony asked and the teenage girl shrugged.

"It's tough to say but Emily's friend thinks Emma will do better with some therapy," She told him and Tony wanted to huff in annoyance. He was annoyed by the mere sound of Emily's name. Of course, that woman wanted to send Emma to therapy. His parents had sent him to therapy when he was a kid. Mostly his mom but it didn't do him any good. Look at how he turned out. If Emma's aunt had it her way, she'd probably send Emma to the same boarding school Tony's father sent him too. Tony almost shuddered in disgust.

"I'm Sharon by the way. Emma's cousin," The teenager said softly after realizing she hadn't introduced herself to the famous billionaire. Tony nodded, mildly aware of the fact the two were related even though Sharon and Emma looked almost nothing alike.

"Tony," He told the teenager without looking away from Emma but it seemed that Sharon already knew who Tony was. Most of the world did as it would seem. "How are you two related again by the way?"

"My grandfather and Emma's grandmother are siblings," Sharon explained before looking curiously over at the man who seemed very concerned for her favorite and youngest cousin. Sharon knew that Emma was quite close to the man and even considered him to be her uncle. Before Emma's parents died and before she stopped speaking, all the little girl could talk about was her Uncle Tony.

"How is Peggy doing?" Tony asked in an even quieter voice and Sharon sighed.

"She's doing alright considering everything. She's a strong woman so she'll be okay," Sharon said before biting her lip and giving Tony a troubled look. "I'm not supposed to say this but I think Steven was her favorite."

Tony turned to look at her with an unreadable look on his face as he tried to get a good read on her. Sharon continued on without pause.

"No one would blame her. He looked just like his father or so I've been told," Sharon said sadly and Tony nodded to himself. He knew more than anything that the comparison drawn between Steven and his famous father had always been a pain in his side his entire life. It's probably what made Tony let go of his jealousy of Steven and admit to the fact that they were the same. Two men struggling to escape the shadow of their famous fathers who were seen as heroes.

Well…now it was just him since Steven was gone.

"I know Aunt Peggy loved my Uncle Daniel a lot but everyone knows she never truly got over Steven's father," Sharon explained as Tony listened intently because he did care in a way. Peggy had always been a very straight laced and no nonsense woman who had little patience for Tony's misbehavior as a child but she was also a very caring and thoughtful woman with kind advice. Tony always admired her for that. "I think she saw Steven as the gift Steve Rogers left behind. My grandfather said that's why she always coddled him and why he could never do any wrong in her eyes."

"He was spoiled rotten as a kid," Tony remarked as he recollected all the stories he had grown up hearing about Steven Jr. Steven had been very loved. "Probably got everything he wanted and more. What pisses me off is that he didn't turn into an asshole like I did from all that. He was still a good person."

"Emma will probably be spoiled too," Sharon said with a small smile on her face as she looked at her cousin affectionately. The little girl was oblivious to their conversation as she remained focused on the picture she was coloring. "After everything, I think she deserves it."

"She really does," Tony said softly, his gaze entirely on Emma who was still coloring with her crayons. He didn't notice the fact that he now seemed to have Sharon's attention.

"I'm glad you're the one Steven picked to look after Emma," Sharon told the billionaire honestly. Tony immediately turned and looked at her in surprise. Those certainly weren't the words he expected to come out of anyone's mouth. Much less a teenage girl. The blonde blushed when she noticed she had his attention. "Before the accident happened, Emma talked about you all the time. It was always Uncle Tony this and Uncle Tony that. She really loves you and I think it'll be good for her after everything that happened."

Tony didn't know how to respond to that so he didn't. He just turned his attention back to Emma who still seemed occupied with the coloring book.

"You should go talk to her," Sharon said quietly when Tony didn't say anything. "You're going to take her back to Malibu tonight, right? You should make sure she knows that. She's probably going to be scared enough. Her whole world is about to change forever."

"I know," Tony said in a voice just as quiet.

"Just take care of her. She's a really sweet girl," Sharon told Tony and he could immediately sense the amount of love in the girl's voice. He wanted to promise the girl that he would take care of Emma as best as he could but he knew he couldn't. Not when this was only a temporary thing. Only until Emma had adjusted to her new life.

"I will," Tony told her, giving her a small smile before he left her to go and talk to Emma. Sharon Carter then turned away and left the room to give the two some privacy. She knew Emma would be in safe hands. She would be very loved and taken care of in Tony Stark's hands. Sharon was absolutely positive of that.

Tony stood in front of Emma who was still sitting on the living room floor as she poured over her coloring book on the coffee table. He noticed that she was coloring one of the horses in the book with red and yellow crayons. _Interesting choice_, Tony thought to himself. The billionaire shifted his weight to his other foot and he fully realized that his palms were sweating at this point. Tony couldn't remember being this nervous to talk to a girl since he was a teenage boy.

"Hey, Rat," Tony said softly as he stood in front of her. The four-year-old looked up from her coloring book and Tony's throat suddenly felt thick with emotion as those ocean blue eyes bored into his own. It only struck him in that moment that her eyes were identical to Steven's.

"So uh…I don't know if your grandma mentioned anything to you but you're going to be staying with me for a while," Tony informed her but the little girl just stared at him. "We're going to Malibu tonight on a plane. That's cool…I mean, you've never seen my house. You've always wanted to so that's um…good."

Tony swallowed hard because he realized that he had no idea how to talk to her. She then gave him a pained look before looking back down at the coloring book. Only she didn't start coloring again. She just stared blankly at the page she had been coloring. Tony knew in that moment that while Emma might not have understood the concept of death, she did know that her parents were gone and not coming back.

"We'll have a lot of fun. You and I," Tony said, attempting to sound optimistic. He may not have originally wanted to take her in but it was never because he didn't love her. Tony adored his goddaughter. He spoiled her every Christmas and every birthday but he was a complicated person himself and didn't think he was fit to take care of a child. However, it seemed like he had no choice in this scenario. "I was thinking that I should take a couple days off work and we could do something together. Whatever you want."

There was another round of silence from the little girl as she sat very still and unmoving. Tony felt terrified because he didn't know what to do. She wasn't the hyper and bubbly little girl he was used to. Tony didn't know how to fix that and he didn't even know if he would be able to but he knew he had to try. It was what Steven would've wanted.

"It's a big house. Pepper just made up a room for you. It's nice and big. I think you'll really love it," Tony told her, trying to cheer her up but the girl still said nothing. "You always wanted to come stay with me, right? Hang out with your cool Uncle Tony?"

When she still said nothing, Tony realized there was nothing he could say that would make her feel better. While Emma might've always wanted to go stay with her Uncle Tony in the past in his big house near the ocean, this wasn't how she wanted to do that. Because Emma would always want her parents over staying with her Uncle Tony. Tony just wished he could give that to her but unfortunately she was stuck with him.

"How about you go find your cousin Sharon and maybe she'll help you pack a few things for tonight," Tony suggested quietly when he realized that he wasn't going to get Emma to speak. She was clearly distraught over her parents' death and Tony didn't even want to begin to think about what that would mean for someone as young as herself. "I need to talk to Pepper and Rhodey."

The little girl didn't say anything as she gathered her crayons and coloring book before doing what Tony asked. The girl wordlessly walked out of the living room without sparing Tony another look. The billionaire sighed when he realized that this was going to be a lot harder than he thought. He had enough emotional problems himself so how did anyone expect him to help Emma with hers? He really didn't know but he hoped he didn't screw this up by making the situation worse for Emma.

Tony really wondered what Steven was thinking by leaving Emma in his care.

* * *

"I'll look after Emma as best as I can, Peggy," Tony promised the elderly woman. The woman had a sad and distraught look on her face which was to be expected after losing Steven who was all she had left of a man she lost many years ago. The woman smiled sadly before nodding.

"I know you will, Anthony," Peggy Carter-Sousa told the young billionaire. She was perhaps the only person that seemed confident in his ability to look after her granddaughter. "Steven loved you very much and I know there's no one else he would ever want taking care of Emma."

"I'm really sorry about Steven," Tony said sincerely because he knew just how close Steven was to his mother. The man had always been very proud of his mother growing up while he had worried about her in recent years after her husband had passed away. Steven was scared of his mother being left alone but Tony supposed Steven just never thought he wouldn't be around to take care of her.

"I'm not sure how I'll be able to move on from this but I'll manage," Peggy said, being the strong and resilient woman she was always famous for being. "This feeling does feel familiar. Almost like déjà vu."

Tony then followed the elderly woman's gaze to a photograph on the wall. A framed photograph right next to one of Steven's school pictures. It was a picture of Steve Rogers in uniform next to a man Tony knew to be Captain America's best friend from way back when.

Bucky Barnes.

The two were seen laughing in the photograph. Tony normally would've wrinkled his nose in distaste at the man he spent his childhood loathing but right now he couldn't help but stare at the man in the picture with regret and sorrow. It was no secret that Steven had been almost an exact carbon copy of his father. Those famous Rogers looks were even something Emma had seemed to inherit with her blonde hair, blue eyes, and captivating smile.

"It's worse this time though," Peggy remarked sadly as she tore her gaze from the photograph of Steve Rogers. "For many years my son was all I had left. I babied him and coddled him too much. Howard always told me that but I couldn't help it. He helped me through the loss of his father. I don't know where I'd be without him."

Her eyes rested on Tony as an affectionate smile appeared on her face.

"Steven looked so much like his father but you look so much like yours too," Peggy said and it was clear she meant this as a compliment. Tony squirmed uncomfortably under her intense gaze. It seemed like Peggy Carter had the same affect on him that she had when he was a little kid. Her eyes were always full of wisdom and Tony felt like she could see right through him.

"Thanks," He mumbled. Normally he would've sneered at anyone who compared him to his father but he knew Peggy would whack him over the head if he did that to her. She then smirked at him before giving him a knowing look.

"I know you don't like hearing that, Anthony, but I do mean it in the best way," Peggy said sincerely. "I think you have the potential to be an even better man than Howard was. Howard thought so too."

"I honestly doubt that," Tony muttered and Peggy just laughed at him as though she knew something he didn't.

"You're so young, Anthony. You remind so much of Howard when he was your age," Peggy went on to say and Tony knew he had to put up with it. He was counting down the seconds until he could leave this conversation. "I'm glad Emma has you. I would take care of her myself but I can barely remember where I leave my checkbook these days. I think she'll be better off with you."

"Well, maybe we'll visit you. I'm sure Emma would love that," Tony told Peggy, not wanting her to think that he was taking her granddaughter away from her. Peggy just smiled at him sadly.

"I actually think it would be a better idea if you kept Emma in Malibu with you for a while," Peggy suggested. "There's too many reminders here. Emma's very young and she needs to start moving on properly. Malibu is new and different. She'll have a life with you there and I think it's best if she has some time to adjust to this new life."

"If you're sure," Tony said, not sounding very sure about Peggy's suggestion.

"My daughter might not like this idea but this is what's best for Emma," Peggy said and Tony turned to look at the woman in question. Sure enough, he saw Emily Forrester, Steven's younger half-sister, standing a short distance away glaring at him like she always did.

Peggy then reached over and pulled Tony into a hug, taking the billionaire by surprise. He hesitantly returned the hug but only because Peggy was like family to him. Sure, he didn't see her that often but she was really all he had left of his parents. Other than Obadiah, of course, but Peggy was a lot kinder and wiser than his father's old business partner.

"You're a good man, Anthony. Your father would be so proud of you," Peggy told him and Tony stiffened but he didn't say anything. He didn't want to upset Peggy by telling her that he knew, for a fact, that his father wouldn't be proud. Nothing he had ever done made his father proud.

Tony just pulled away from the older woman and gave her a forced smile. Peggy smiled back but her eyes seemed to hold a knowingness that made Tony uncomfortable. She was incredibly good at making a person feel small with just one look. Not in a bad way or anything but Tony just felt like he still had a lot to learn when she looked at him like that.

Tony didn't like it one bit but he didn't say anything.

He just wanted to get on the plane and head home. Maybe have a nice glass of scotch on the way back if Emma fell asleep on the plane. Tony prayed that she did because he really needed something to numb everything that both his head and his heart was feeling right now.

Losing Steven was taking it's toll on Tony and now Tony had Steven's daughter to look after too. He didn't know how he was going to deal with seeing her everyday because it was no secret that Emma looked just like her father. When she stared at him earlier with her father's eyes, Tony could barely hold the tears back so he didn't know how he was going to survive living with Steven's ghost for the next few months.

This was going to hurt.

Tony knew that much.

* * *

"Emma, I want you to be careful over at Mr. Stark's," Emily Forrester told her niece. The older woman was kneeled down in front of the four-year-old girl so that she was at her height. "You're not to go anywhere unless someone's with you. I want you to stay close to Mr. Stark and Miss Potts."

"I also want you to be on your best behavior. Mr. Stark is very kind to let you live with him," Emily said although her tone was bitter which was something Tony didn't miss as he waited by the door with Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy. He rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses. It seemed like not even Steven's death would let the woman bury the hachet. "That means doing what he tells you, not talking back, and being respectful in his home."

"You call me anytime you want. Miss Potts has my number so just ask her and I'll pick up no matter what," Emily said, suddenly sounding choked up as she looked back at Emma. Tony almost laughed at the way that Emma seemed disgruntled by the woman's emotion. As if the four-year-old didn't understand why her aunt was in tears. "I packed your things in your backpack. You have a coloring book, crayons, and Spirit for the plane ride although I think it's good idea for you to take a nap. It'll be a long flight, Emma."

The woman then sniffled before pulling Emma into her arms and nearly suffocating the toddler with a hug. The small child with blonde pigtails looked winded as her aunt squeezed the life out of her. If this was any other situation Tony would've laughed before sending a smirk in Steven's situation but he was quick to remember that Steven wasn't here.

Nor would he ever be again.

"You be on your best behavior for Mr. Stark. Okay, Emma?" Emily told Emma who still looked very uncomfortable from the hug her aunt forced on her. However, the little girl nodded nonetheless.

"Good," Emily said, looking satisfied with Emma's response. She pressed a kiss against Emma's cheek which Emma didn't seem to like at all. It was obvious from the grossed out look on Emma's face. Tony wasn't surprised that Emma wasn't very affectionate. It seemed like she was already a lot like her father. Emily then stood up from the ground and walked over to Tony, the kind expression on her face gone and replaced with a stern one.

"You better be good to that girl, Stark," Emily warned him, giving him the deadliest of glares. Tony was used to it from her. Emily never made her disdain for him a secret. "If you ever hurt her I'll make sure you regret it. I don't care about how much money you have or what your last name is."

"Emily…it's always a pleasure," Tony said sarcastically, giving the older woman a smug smirk. Emily just continued to glare at him.

"And I hope for Emma's sake that you stop your sleazy philandering. May I remind you that she's four-years-old and has no need to see the countless women slinking out of your bedroom during early morning hours," Emily lectured and Tony was getting really annoyed with her at this point. Did she think he was some kind of idiot or monster? She actually thought he would expose Emma to something like that? Tony was annoyed with Emily but he didn't show his anger. He just continued to smirk at the woman he knew hated him.

"I'll try my best," Tony told her in a condescending voice and Emily just huffed angrily before storming off in the opposite direction. His eyes followed her retreating back until she was gone. It was only then that he took time to look down at Emma.

Emma who was looking at him expectantly.

It was a look she had never given him before. Not during all his visits to Steven and Margot's farm house.

But then again, that was when Steven was the authority figure in her life. Tony was just Uncle Tony. Emma's childish and eccentric uncle who probably had the same maturity level as her…but things were different now and both Tony and Emma knew it. He could tell Emma knew it was different from the way she stared at him, patiently waiting for Tony's lead. The billionaire swallowed uncomfortably before tearing his gaze from her. He wasn't sure if he could handle the pressure of now being the decision maker in Emma's life.

_This isn't for long, _Tony told himself. _Just until she adjusts to her parents not being around. This is just an adjustment period for her. Once she's doing better, she'll go live with Emily. Then things will go back to normal. _

"Let's head home," Tony announced and didn't waste any time leaving the premises. Rhodey and Happy followed him while Pepper smiled at Emma before holding out her hand for the four-year-old to take. Emma hesitantly took the hand of the woman who she had only met an hour ago. She knew the nice lady was a friend of her uncle's and that should be good enough for her.

Emma glanced back at her cousin Sharon waving at her as she left. The teenage girl had tears in her eyes as she silently prayed that her cousin would get better. Emma waved back with the hand that wasn't holding Uncle Tony's lady friend's hand before the lady gently ushered her out the door.

The four-year-old watched the back of her Uncle Tony's head as he chatted with his two friends about something. She wasn't paying attention to what he was saying though. She was just looking at him as she wondered what would happen now.

Emma still didn't get why her parents weren't coming back.

She just knew that they weren't.

The blonde little girl wished they were here right now more than anything. She just wanted her daddy to tuck her in and read her bedtime stories. Emma wanted her mommy to wake her up with kisses before getting her ready for the day by brushing her hair and putting it in her signature pigtails.

Emma missed her parents badly but, at least, she had Uncle Tony.

Everything else was bad but Uncle Tony was here and that was a good thing.

Uncle Tony was a good thing.


End file.
